Even though there is a huge cold front sweeping through France at the time of writing, some readers said that non-stop summer was their biggest surprise.

Shelley Dootson Greenland, who's from the north west of the UK, said that life in southern France is a whole different kettle of fish.

"The summer lasted until November and apart from the few odd days of rain in January it's felt like summer in my book," she wrote on Facebook.

"Christmas day was like a typical summer day in the north of England. Maybe I've been deprived or maybe its my state of mind but believe me, i'm not used to this and its summer to me."

The stunning scenery

Photo: Tourisme Midi-Pyrénées/Flickr

This is an easy win, with everything on offer in France from amazing beaches to enormous snowy mountains.

Or as Gary Stella put it on Facebook, the "wide variations in seemingly always stunning scenery and awesome architecture".

Genuinely interested people

Suzie Richards Lanniee said on Facebook that the French were always interested in her home country, the US.

"Even though we like to think they disdain us, I was always treated warmly and asked several questions. Life there is more regimented - things aren't open all the time, and convenience isn't always the default like it is in the US. Friendly, if more formal, than the US. I loved it. Can't wait to go back soon."

The wine!

Of course, how could we write a list about the pleasant things in France without mentioning the wine. We heard from many people about the wine.

And people liked it for different reasons - some pointing to "how cheap a good bottle is", while others mentioned the taste or the sheer range. Cheers!

The roads are empty

Photo: AFP

Foreign motorists are thrilled with France's quiet and empty roads, especially the motorways.

Paul Courtnage said he liked that there are "roads you can drive on instead of queuing", a sentiment shared by several on Facebook.

Of course, this doesn't count for Paris, which is hardly even empty in the middle of the night on a week day.

The delicious food

Photo: Claudio Brisighello/Flickr

And lastly, the famed French food made many an appearance in our informal survey.

Facebooker F Joseph Leonard-Peray said it was all about the quality, noting that fruit and vegetable stands have information for customers about the location or the farm where the food was grown.

And what's not to love - France is renowned for its food if it's a humble baguette or the ever-controversial foie gras.

But we'll give the last word to Facebook follower Richard Schatz, who had a huge change of heart after leaving the US.

"I never ate fruit, tomatoes and many other thing before I came to France many moons ago. It had no taste in the US.

But things changed in France, where he says that "even the lettuce is tasty". "In any case I eat just about everything now."

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